Last game
The Reds had yesterday off. So far they’ve taken 2-of-3 from the Angels, 2-of-3 from the Nationals, and just 1-of-3 from the Cardinals. Even with the 13 runs they scored in the opener of that series with the Cards, they were still outscored over the three games, 14-19.

Next game
Breather over: the Reds are in Pittsburgh tonight to take on the Pirates. The Pirates are 3-6 so far, having lost 2-of-3 to the Cubs, being swept by the Dodgers, and winning 2-of-3 against the Diamondbacks.

Mike Leake (RHP, 0-0, 6.00 ERA) will represent the Reds against A.J. Burnett (RHP, 0-2, 3.27 ERA). Burnett has already struck out 19 this season (for comparison, Johnny Cueto leads the Reds with 15), so I hope the offense brings their contact-making abilities tonight.

42
42, the Jackie Robinson story, opens today. It’s only a few hours old, but the fans on Fandango are saying “Must See.”

What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
Today starts a streak of 20 days of Reds games in a row. I hope they enjoyed the time off while they had it.

Last game
The Reds were unable to take the series from the Cardinals, losing 10-0 in what was an embarrassing outing all around. The offense managed 5 hits and no runs, and the pitching was something you hope to never see again. Homer Bailey was solid through the first four innings, but fell apart and was knocked out of the game in the 5th when he allowed 4 runs. Both John Jay and Carlos Beltran hit homers off him in that inning. The bullpen arrived to throw gasoline on the fire and turn the game into the Reds’ first shutout of the season.

Next game
The Reds have a day off today as they travel to Pittsburgh where they start a three game series with the Pirates on Friday. Mike Leake will start against AJ Burnett tomorrow at 7:05 pm.

Marshall disabled and Ondrusek called up
Despite his lone appearance being a 1-2-3 inning, Sean Marshall will be making a trip to the disabled list. Logan Ondrusek fills his roster spot.

Marshall has had a tired shoulder since the end of spring training.

“I felt great (Tuesday),” Marshall said. “I pitched Sunday. I didn’t feel great Monday. I like to bounce back well. We thought it was the best thing (to go on the DL). The bullpen has been working hard. To have somebody fresh who is able to pitch in consecutive days. … I was close to being able to do that. I understand we have an off day tomorrow.

“But it was in the best interest of myself and the rest of the guys to take this little DL stint and strengthen my shoulder and get it back to 100 percent, so I can pitch the rest of the year without problems.”

With as many innings as the bullpen has pitched, not having Marshall available has been painful. Hopefully, Marshall’s time on the DL will fully restore his shoulder so he’s dominating hitters later in the season.

What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
With Cesar Izturis’ start at shortstop yesterday, second-baseman Brandon Phillips has now played with 23 different shortstops during his Cincinnati tenure. In addition to Izturis, Phillips has played with Didi Gregorius, Wilson Valdez, Todd Frazier, Zack Cozart, Edgar Renteria, Orlando Cabrera, Miguel Cairo, Paul Janish, Drew Sutton, Chris Valaika, Alex Gonzalez, Jerry Hairston Jr., Adam Rosales, Jolbert Cabrera, Juan Castro, Jeff Keppinger, Enrique Cruz, Pedro Lopez, Rich Aurilia, Royce Clayton, Felipe Lopez, and last, but not least, Ray Olmedo.

Last game
Despite the offenseive show that the Reds have been putting on so far this season, last night’s game was a pitcher’s duel that the Cardinals won, 1-5. Bronson Arroyo had a perfect game going into the sixth, but suddenly he hit the wall and gave up 4 runs. Pinch hitter Matt Adams topped that scoring off with a home run. In the game wrap on Reds.com, Adams had this to say about Arroyo:

“He was throwing the majority of offspeed all game,” Adams said. “With the tying run at third base, I had a pretty good idea that I was going to get an offspeed pitch sometime during that at-bat.”

Am I to understand that the world now knows to expect off-speed stuff from Bronson Arroyo? With that secret out, we’ll never survive!

Next game
The rubber game happens this afternoon at 1:45 p.m. Homer Bailey (RHP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) takes on Jake Westbrook (RHP, 0-1, 0.00 ERA).

Get me an autograph while you’re there, would ya?
Tonight at 7 p.m. Joel Luckhaupt, author of 100 Things Reds Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, will be appearing at the Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati (Rookwood Pavilion, 2692 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH).

Here’s the book description according to Amazon.com (paragraph breaks added for readability):

In this ultimate resource guide for true fans of baseball’s first professional team, author Joel Luckhaupt has collected every essential piece of Cincinnati Reds trivia, as well as must-do activities, and ranked them from one to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist for fans to complete in their lifetime.

Most Reds fans have taken in a game or two at the Great American Ball Park, have seen highlights of the Big Red Machine, and remember the team’s surprising triumph in the 1990 World Series. But only real fans know which 15-year-old took the mound for the Reds in 1944, can name the pitcher who gave up Pete Rose’s 4,192nd hit, or remember how many dogs owner Marge Schott owned.

100 Things Reds Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the perfect book for any fan of Reds baseball, whether a die-hard booster from the days of Ted Kluszewski or a new supporter of Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, and Aroldis Chapman.

Luckhaupt is amassing quite a portfolio of Reds’ related literature. Make sure to pick up the whole set and get them signed now, before he goes the way of Pete Rose and it costs you 50 bucks for his John Hancock.

What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
The Reds haven’t won a series in St. Louis since September 2011. In fact, they’ve won only 3 series in St. Louis in the last 10 years.

Last game
To look at a final score of 13-4, you wouldn’t think that the Reds trailed almost the entire game. The Cardinals took a 0-2 lead at their very first opportunity, and the Reds didn’t manage to tie it up at 4s until the 8th. And then, lo, the 9-inning 9th. That was really something to see.

Shin-Soo Choo was the big story, having committed both of the team’s 2 errors that allowed 3 runs. But then he also led the team in RBI this game with 3, so it was a wash. Jay Bruce went 4-for-5 with a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. Brandon Phillips got booed a lot and also hit a home run. Joey Votto went 1-for-4 with 2 walks, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. He’s certainly not looking like his old self, but I bet it messes with your pitch-o-vision to see so many balls go by.

This game was too massive to be properly covered in brief, so I recommend you go check out the game wrap.

Next game
You mean we get to do this again??

Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 1-0, 4.50 ERA) will take his turn for the Reds against Lance Lynn (RHP, 0-0, 9.00 ERA). Lynn lost a bunch of weight over the off-season and is adjusting to his new slenderness. Arroyo, on the other hand, has always had the body of a 15-year old boy. First pitch at 8:15 p.m.

Tribute For Heroes campaign
I got a rather dense press release in my inbox the other day:

Major League Baseball and PEOPLE magazine today announced the “Tribute for Heroes” campaign, a national initiative that recognizes veterans and military service members and builds upon both organizations’ commitment to honoring our country’s heroes. Beginning today and running through May 17th, fans are encouraged to visit TributeforHeroes.com to nominate an active or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States or Canada for the chance to represent their favorite MLB team at the 2013 All-Star Game.

Once all the nominations are reviewed, three veterans/military service members per Club (90 finalists) will be selected by MLB, PEOPLE, and a celebrity panel of judges, who will be announced at a later date. Fans will then be encouraged to vote online from June 9th through June 30th for their Club favorite. All 30 winners, one representing each MLB Club, will be announced on July 10th. They will be included in All-Star Week festivities and recognized during the All-Star pre-game ceremony leading up to the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field on July 16th on FOX. A “Tribute for Heroes” winner will be featured in PEOPLE magazine the week of the MLB All-Star Game.

The “Tribute For Heroes” campaign will support Welcome Back Veterans (welcomebackveterans.org, powered by MLB.com), an initiative of Major League Baseball and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, which addresses the needs of veterans after they return from service.

Nominate your hero at TributeforHeroes.com

What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
Shin-Soo Choo committed only 2 errors in all of last year when he was playing right field.